The Afghan Whigs - 1965 (1998)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: CK 69450
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© 1998 Columbia Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny
With 1965, the Afghan Whigs finally made the gritty soul record just always out of their reach -- seamlessly integrating the R&B aspirations which have textured the band's sound since the beginning, the music simmers with raw energy, its deep, dark grooves not so much white-boy as simply white-hot. Recorded in New Orleans, the album is plainly the product of its environment -- sultry, sleazy, and more than a little menacing; here more than ever, Greg Dulli is the frontman you love to hate, strutting and swaggering his way through standout tracks like "Something Hot," "Uptown Again," and "John the Baptist" with predatory aggression. (Who else would deliver a lyric like "I got the devil in me, girl" as though it were a pickup line?) Still, for all its cocksure arrogance, 1965 is nevertheless a sincere tribute to the classic music recalled by the album's title -- lyrics aside, even if Dulli did sell his soul, he's somehow managed to get it all back.

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Freedy Johnston - Blue Days Black Nights (1999)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Folk Rock, Rock

Label Number: 62263-2
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© 1999 Elektra Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny
The darkest, most understated Freedy Johnston record to date, Blue Days Black Nights is also the singer's most intimate effort, largely rejecting the quirky character studies of prior outings in favor of more plainly personal narratives, and revealing new shades of depth and honesty in the process. Co-producers T-Bone Burnett and Roger Moutenot cloak Johnston's songs in dusky atmospherics which underscore the music's spare beauty -- far removed from the crackling pop flavor of the preceding Never Home or even the shimmering folk of This Perfect World, Blue Days Black Nights possesses a hushed gravity which insinuates itself only over repeated listens. At times the results are overly ponderous, but a handful of tracks -- the opening "Underwater Life" and "Moving on a Holiday" included -- rank among Johnston's finest.

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Freedy Johnston - Right Between The Promises (2001)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

Label Number: 62652-2
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© 2001 Elektra Records
AllMusic Review by Kenneth Bays
Right Between the Promises comes across as simultaneously the flip side of, and a companion piece to, 1999's Blue Days Black Nights. Where that album's songs flowed with an ominous energy barely concealed by the moody, hushed tones of their surface, Promises forces those same emotions out into the light -- a cathartic, rocked-out release to Nights' endless tension. The result? Smart, darkly ambiguous songs that nevertheless seem built for high-volume, summertime play on a car stereo. Promises continues the slant toward vague, impressionistic character studies, and away from narrative Johnston started on that previous album. In a way, though, it's telling that his sole cover here is an unabashedly straight version of Edison Lighthouse's '70s bubblegum hit "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" -- and more telling that he does it so well. Even the strangest stuff here has a certain accessibility: The chunky, harmonically fractured blues "Back to My Machine" holds attention despite its overly ambitious, science fiction-themed lyrics. The few tunes that hark back to the subdued quality of Nights have a new aura of poppiness, too; the gentle guitar hook in "Arriving on a Train" sounds breezy rather than just forebodingly delicate, and not even the prominent cellos and violins seem mournful. The disc includes the first studio appearance of "Radio for Heartache," previewed on Johnston's 2000 live record Live at 33 1/3. Right Between the Promises may not be as richly nuanced as his very best work, but it's still a fine example of his idiosyncratic brand of intelligent, radio-friendly folk-rock.

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Freedy Johnston - The Trouble Tree (1990) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock 

Label Number: AHAON-018-2
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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1990 Bar/None Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny
Johnston's debut, though not without its rough edges, firmly established him as a talent to be reckoned with -- even his earliest songs are marked by great maturity and insight.

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Freedy Johnston - Can You Fly (1992) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

Label Number: A-HAON 024-2
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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1992 Bar/None Records
AllMusic Review by Kristi Coulter
A giant step forward from his likeable but ragged debut, Freedy Johnston's Can You Fly is a stunningly accomplished and coherent album that recalls the raw lyricism of such quintessentially American writers as Raymond Carver and Richard Hugo. Johnston sold his family's Kansas farm to finance the recording of Can You Fly, a fact that's cited in the record's opening line and reflected in several autobiographical songs about the guilty downside of pursuing a dream. Elsewhere, Johnston creates rich character studies of people who are vaguely aware that their lives have gone awry but aren't sure what to do about it. If Johnston's stories are bleak, however, the delicacy of his melodies and simple, clean production ensure that hearing them is downright exhilarating. Standouts include the wistful gambler's lament "The Lucky One," the tender "Mortician's Daughter," and especially the supernatural-tinged title track. Syd Straw contributes vocals on one track, the lovely duet "Down in Love."

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Freedy Johnston - This Perfect World (1994) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock

Label Number: 61655-2
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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1994 Elektra Records
AllMusic Review by Kristi Coulter
Freedy Johnston's major-label debut is less consistently stunning than its predecessor, 1992's Can You Fly but, taken on its own terms, it affirms his position as one of the best songwriters of his generation. Certainly no one paints more evocative portraits of lonely, disappointed people. The majority of these 12 tracks are about men who either know or strongly suspect that they've done something unforgivable, and such is Johnston's mastery as a lyricist that it's even subtly apparent when his narrators are lying to themselves. Johnston frames his bleak narratives with melodic, chiming folk-rock; if anything, the predominantly mid-tempo songs and radio-ready Butch Vig production are a little too smooth, robbing This Perfect World of the edge that made Can You Fly so piercing. The most memorable tracks are the sparsest ones, where Johnston's words and appealingly plain voice take center stage. In addition to the melancholy opener, "Bad Reputation," other highlights include "Can't Shake This Town" and the witty "Dolores" -- few songwriters could pack so many Lolita allusions into three minutes of guitar pop without sounding too clever by half. Best of all is the mournful, eerie title track, which describes the possibly mortal sins of one man's past and the hopelessness of his future with the economy and punch of a good short story.

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Freedy Johnston - Never Home (1997) ☠

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Pop Rock

Label Number: 61920-2
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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1997 Elektra Records
AllMusic Review by Jason Ankeny
From the propulsive opener "On the Way Out" to the lilting closer "Something's Out There" (about, of all things, a UFO abduction), the sparkling Never Home is Freedy Johnston's most musically and emotionally expansive outing to date. Finding a sympathetic ear in producer and guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, Johnston's songs transcend their dark themes to reveal unexpected and heretofore unseen moments of warmth and sentimentality; even edgy, Randy Newman-like character studies such as "He Wasn't Murdered" and "Gone to See the Fire" offer moments of tenderness which their subjects (suicide and arson, respectively) can't suppress.

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Suede - Suede (1993)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Alternative Rock

Style: Britpop

Label Number: CK 53792

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© 1993 Nude Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Borrowing heavily from David Bowie and the Smiths, Suede forge a distinctively seductive sound on their eponymous album. Guitarist Bernard Butler has a talent for crafting effortlessly catchy, crunching glam hooks like the controlled rush of "Metal Mickey" and the slow, sexy grind of "The Drowners," but he also can construct grand, darkly romantic soundscapes like the sighing "Sleeping Pills" and the tortured "Pantomime Horse." What brings these elegant sounds to life is Brett Anderson, who invests them with bed-sit angst and seamy sex. Anderson's voice is calculatedly affected and theatrical, but it fits the grand emotion of his self-consciously poetic lyrics. Suede are working-class lads striving for glamour, and they achieve it by piecing together remnants of the past with pieces of the present, never forgetting the value of a strong hook in the process. And while the sound of Suede frequently recalls the peak of glam rock, its punk-influenced passion and self-conscious appropriation of the past make it thoroughly postmodern. Coincidentally, its embrace of trashy pop helped usher in an era of Britpop, but few bands captured the theatrical melancholy that gave Suede such resonance.

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Suede - Dog Man Star (1994)

*U.K. pressing. 

Contains 12 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Alternative Rock

Style: Britpop

Label Number: NUDE 3CD

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© 1994 Nude Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Instead of following through on the Bowie-esque glam stomps of their debut, Suede concentrated on their darker, more melodramatic tendencies on their ambitious second album, Dog Man Star. By all accounts, the recording of Dog Man Star was plagued with difficulties -- Brett Anderson wrote the lyrics in a druggy haze while sequestered in a secluded Victorian mansion, while Bernard Butler left before the album was completed -- which makes its singular vision all the more remarkable. Lacking any rocker on the level of "The Drowners" or "Metal Mickey" -- only the crunching "This Hollywood Life" comes close -- Dog Man Star is a self-indulgent and pretentious album of dark, string-drenched epics. But Suede are one of the few bands who wear pretensions well, and after a few listens, the album becomes thoroughly compelling. Nearly every song on the record is hazy, feverish, and heartbroken, and even the rockers have an insular, paranoid tenor that heightens the album's melancholy. The whole record would have collapsed underneath its own intentions if Butler's compositional skills weren't so subtly nuanced and if Anderson's grandiose poetry wasn't so strangely affecting. As it stands, Dog Man Star is a strangely seductive record, filled with remarkable musical peaks, from the Bowie-esque stomp of "New Generation" to the stately ballads "The Wild Ones" and "Still Life," which are both reminiscent of Scott Walker. And while Suede may choose to wear their influences on their sleeve, they synthesize them in a totally original way, making Dog Man Star a singularly tragic and romantic album.

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Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom (1994)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Trip-Hop, Rap Rock

Label Number: 9 45752-2

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© 1994 Slash/Warner Bros. Records
AllMusic Review by Sean Westergaard
Ruby Vroom was one of the great debut albums of the '90s. It was an invigorating, refreshing blend of relentlessly funky beats and downtown beatnik hipster and jazz sensibilities that came around when grunge was the order of the day. Despite the hip-hop/funk heroics of the rhythm section (Sebastian Steinberg on upright bass and Yuval Gabay on drums), M. Doughty's funky white-boy pose came less from hip-hop than the rhythms and cadences of the performance poetry scene. He can be introspective and yearning, as in "True Dreams of Wichita" or "Janine," and has a feel for cinematic description, but more often delivers with the sly wink of a real smart ass. Also, his performance-poetry background means his phrasing and timing are impeccable. Doughty's guitar playing is quite spare, but careful listening will reveal more buried in the mix. The secret weapon of the band, and what really sets them apart is the keyboard/sampler playing of Mark de Gli Antoni. He not only set the bar for sampler players in the pop world, but in the decade since Ruby Vroom was released, no one has even come close to his mixture of inventiveness and musicality. Everything from creaking doors, buses, and sampled trombone solos to Raymond Scott and Tori Amos (!) provide elements and atmosphere, not to mention the genius pairing of Howlin' Wolf and the Andrews Sisters on "Down to This." He can also lay in jazzy piano chords and musically punctuates Doughty's musings with wonderful, unplaceable sounds. Production is clean and crisp, with rich, deep bass and taut drum sounds, while de Gli Antoni's samples often make the band seem much larger than it really is (the band had no problem duplicating the sound live, by the way). There isn't a bad song on here; it's their best album top to bottom, and it still sounds fresh ten years down the road. Excellent.

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Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss (1996)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Trip-Hop, Rap Rock

Label Number: 9 46175-2

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© 1996 Slash/Warner Bros. Records
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Soul Coughing's second album, Irresistible Bliss, finds the band cutting away some of their eccentricities, leaving behind the bare basics of their pseudo-bohemian fusion of jazz, hip-hop, performance art, and alternative rock. Theoretically, the album should be more accessible; in practice, it is simply less involving. Though some engagingly quirky, off-center avant-pop remains, there are no jarring juxtapositions as satisfying as those that dominated Ruby Vroom, with its melded samples of Howlin' Wolf and the Andrews Sisters. There's enough strong music on Irresistible Bliss to suggest that the album is merely a slight sophomore slump, but that still doesn't make the long stretches of tediousness on the album any more forgivable.

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16 - Bridges To Burn (2009)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Sludge Metal
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© 2009 Relapse Records
AllMusic Review by Greg Prato
It appeared as though we had heard the last of seminal sludge rockers 16 after the release of 2002's Zoloft Smile, and for a perfectly good reason -- the group had all but mysteriously vanished. But in 2009, the earth rumbled, and the massive plains parted and belched up another slab of 16, titled Bridges to Burn. Despite the long layoff between albums, the gentlemen -- Chris Jerue (vocals), Bobby Ferry (guitar), Tony Baumeister (bass), and Jason Corley (drums) -- can still come up with brutal metal grooves that crawl along and sound absolutely monstrous. You'll be hard pressed to find songs in the modern metal world that match the sheer mighty onslaught of such delightful ditties as "Throw in the Towel," "Skin & Bones," and "Thorn in Your Side," among others. Without question, Bridges to Burn is a 100-percent mega metal release

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16 - Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds (2012)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Sludge Metal
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© 2012 Relapse Records
Review by Lior "Steinmetal" Stein for Metal-Temple.com
While I was listening to this album I was wondering if the entire Sludge Metal communion has the same distinct sound that will immediately identify them as Sludge Metal bands? As it seems apparently yes because every time I tune to these kinds of bands I hear the same booming, dirty, gloomy and overwhelming BLACK SABBATH upgrade to their 70s era. Other than that, with all my love to the early BLACK SABBATH and other groovy bands of the 70s and 80s that might have touched Sludge land and influenced its musical prospect, I haven’t had the chance to have an introduction with a decent band of the kind. Surely there is the notorious EYEHATEGOD, but what about others? Through Relapse Records I found out about the American band named 16. Don’t exactly know what this name represents but a mystery is always good for the soul. “Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds” is their new album and sixth album since 1991, and no they haven’t been active straight through all these years. When I began listening I told myself not to expect anything, aside from the production that I had a pretty good hint about. To my surprise my ears popped with the cool sounds of “Theme from 'Pillpopper'”, and further on near the end “Beyond Fixable” that spread some fine groove and even a great solo guitar as a wonderful topping. When Cris, the vocalist, began shrugging and moaning with what resembled as disgust, I was perplexed at first if I would have rather had growls instead, but I told myself that it doesn’t matter. This type of vocal pattern fits the dirtiness of the music. Such line of iniquitous filth is a virtue when the music is drinking your soul as if it was a Jack Daniels party time. “Her Little "Accident"” got me thinking if it was actually a true story or just another exemplification of what is going on in the streets of the world when it comes to jealous dudes and innocent girls. Other than the concept, it was a pretty neat track with great beats but in time it got old as it repeated itself over and over. It took until the grotesque “Ants in My Bloodstream” that showed the promising nature and even the band’s groove sounded good and mesmerizing. I liked the bass work and the nice little delay section; sadly that nothing like it existed further in the track. “Opium Hook”, didn’t change anything for the drug induced as this entire release is smeared with haziness and pot or stronger heroin signs, nice story isn’t it? This song has some great riffing, great bass work, I can’t say the same for the vocals that kept heaving my head, but with a focus on the riffing, it is kind of cool. You don’t have to be a Sludge fan to like this album, yet if you can take on the vocals and the fact that there are moments that are repeating themselves quite often, this is the place for you. 16 is one of the better Sludge Metal bands in heard in a while. “Deep Cuts From Dark Clouds” is a fine release and I suggest that you try to chew on it

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Deacon Blue - Our Town: The Greatest Hits (1994)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock

Label Number: 476642 2
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© 1994 Columbia Records
*No professional reviews available for this release.

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Possessed - Seven Churches (1985) ☠

*U.S. first pressing on CD. 

Contains 10 tracks total.

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Death Metal
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☠: Selected by Buccaneer

© 1985-1986 Combat
AllMusic Review by Eduardo Rivadavia
Often cited as the first true death metal record ever released (Florida's Death had been around just as long but would only make their vinyl debut a few years later), Possessed's Seven Churches took thrash metal's intensity to new levels of brutality. With song titles like "Burning in Hell," "Satan's Curse," and "The Exorcist" (featuring the famous movie's eerie title theme for an intro), the band definitely displayed a strong Slayer influence; but it was Possessed growler Jeff Becerra who first introduced the barely decipherable grunting vocal style which would epitomize the death metal genre. Among the highlights, "Pentagram," "Twisted Minds," and "Fallen Angel" have best stood the test of time, offering glimpses of the trends to follow with their surprisingly mature songwriting. They then close the proceedings in ferocious fashion with the appropriately titled -- you guessed it -- "Death Metal." In the years that followed, Possessed would continued to improve from a technical perspective, but they never quite equaled the fire of this debut. And though they were gradually overtaken by younger and better bands, for those interested in connecting the dots between thrash and death metal, Seven Churches is the ultimate missing link.

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Possessed - Beyond The Gates/The Eyes of Horror (1988)

*U.S. first pressing on CD. This release is a compilation that compiles the "Beyond The Gates" album along with "The Eyes of Horror: E.P." This E.P. was originally released in 1987 on Vinyl only. Tracks 1-12 is "Beyond The Gates" Tracks 12-16 is "The Eyes of Horror: E.P."

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Thrash Metal, Death Metal
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© 1988 Combat
AllMusic Review by John Book
Beyond the Gates was more lighthearted but still dealt with the darker side of life. The album gave Possessed a lot of potential. Eyes of Horror was an EP produced by LaLonde's guitar teacher Joe Satriani, who is featured on one of the songs

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The Primitives - Lovely (1988) ☠

*U.K. first pressing. 

Contains 14 tracks total.

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock, Punk Rock

Label Number: PD 71688

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☠: Selected by Lass

© 1988 RCA/Lazy Records
AllMusic Review by Nitsuh Abebe
The Primitives' sound pretty much defines the lighter side of British pop in the late '80s: straight-ahead pop melodies, tinged with a bit of Manchester danceability and shoegazer experimentation. Some of the Primitives' more "pop" songs are a bit too straightforward and bland, but the majority of Lovely is well-written enough to make up for the occasional lapse into plainness. The album is at its best when the band departs from its pop sound -- the Jesus and Mary Chain-inspired noise of "Spacehead" and "Stop Killing Me," or the Eastern-sounding "Shadow," with its sitar and backwards vocals, stand out as some of the more artistically worthwhile tracks. The Primitives, however, are more about writing hooky pop songs than making great artistic strides; Lovely's most memorable tracks are built around P.J. Court's simple, jangly guitar lines and Tracey's sweet, melodic vocals. If one can look past the fact that their brand of Brit-pop sounds a bit dated, the Primitives are a consistently exciting listen.

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Corey Hart - Fields of Fire (1986)

Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Pop Rock
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© 1986 Aquarius/Capitol Records
*No professional reviews available for this release.

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Corey Hart - Attitude & Virtue (1992)

Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Pop Rock
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© 1992 Sire Records
AllMusic Review by Roch Parisien
While Hart's written some decent songs for Attitude, inspired by months of world travel, the production reduces the project to pure drivel. Hart's limited vocals are right up front, bare naked, warts and all. At best, the instrumental backing is flat and lifeless. The miserably cliched ballads "Always" and "Baby When I Call Your Name," and the ersatz reggae of "Love and Money" are much worse. Guest vocals by Terrence Trent d'Arby and Jane Siberry are wasted on the sessions.

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Corey Hart - Corey Hart (1996)

Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Pop Rock, Pop
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© 1996 Columbia Records
*No professional reviews available for this release.

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Corey Hart - Jade (1998)

Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Pop Rock
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© 1998 Columbia Records
*No professional reviews available for this release.

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Roxy Music - Siren (1975)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Rock, Pop Rock

Label Number: EGCD 20

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© 1975-1987 E.G. Records, Ltd.
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Abandoning the intoxicating blend of art rock and glam-pop that distinguished Stranded and Country Life, Roxy Music concentrate on Bryan Ferry's suave, charming crooner persona for the elegantly modern Siren. As the disco-fied opener "Love Is the Drug" makes clear, Roxy embrace dance and unabashed pop on Siren, weaving them into their sleek, arty sound. It does come at the expense of their artier inclinations, which is part of what distinguished Roxy, but the end result is captivating. Lacking the consistently amazing songs of its predecessor, Siren has a thematic consistency that works in its favor, and helps elevate its best songs -- "Sentimental Fool," "Both Ends Burning," "Just Another High" -- as well as the album itself into the realm of classics.

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